


Venom

by kittinoir



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, But not what you think!, F/M, Identity Reveal, Someone is holding all the puzzle pieces, maybe it's exactly what you think
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:22:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22030234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittinoir/pseuds/kittinoir
Summary: It's Marinette's worst nightmare - someone knows her secret
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 7
Kudos: 55





	1. Prologue

Chloe Bourgeois never had trouble sleeping.

At least, she never used to. 

But ever since she’d literally stumbled across the bee miraculous, she hadn’t had a peaceful night since.

She used to sleep right through night time akuma attacks and wake up none the wiser to the midnight battles until the report rolled across her news screen the next morning. Then she’d set her phone alarm to go off in the event of an attack, waking her up in case Ladybug needed her. She’d become such a light sleeper, too eager and jittery to really rest, that the slightest noise had her waking up. Even if Ladybug had never come. 

Tonight was something different. Tonight, Chloe was dreaming - but she knew she was. She twisted in her bed, drowsily pulling her knees up to her chest as images flashed through her mind. Something, _something_ was on the edge of her dream, tickling her. The same thing that had been teasing her for the past couple of weeks now, ever since she’d first opened the Miraculous and Pollen had materialized. The faint feeling of…familiarity. 

_”Chloe…!”_

The voice called to Chloe, at once familiar and irritating. She let her mind chase it deeper into sleep, the itch growing stronger ever as she felt consciousness slipping from her. A car ride…where…? And a toy…for someone…she wanted to impress… 

_”Chloe…that’s my…!”_

She heard her own laughter echo as though in the empty foyer of the Grand Paris.

_”Not anymore…finders, keepers!”_

A stuffed toy, so unique it was sure to impress…who…? It didn’t matter; her dream replayed the last few moments, snagging again on…the toy…? No…not a toy…not a toy, a…a…

“Kwami!” Chloe gasped, sitting up ramrod straight in bed. Her heart was pounding so fast she thought it might stop altogether. But that wasn’t it. That wasn’t what was keeping her up at night. It was…

_”Chloe, that’s my…my…_

It was…

“Marinette,” Chloe whispered. She’d been dreaming of Prince Ali’s visit to Paris, and the toy she’d found on the ground moments before Marinette had chased after her limo saying it was hers. Her eyes glazed over as things fell into place, too lightning quick for her to follow. She let it happen, watching the coincidences light up, leading her to the inevitable conclusion.

“Ladybug."


	2. Marinette

Paris was quiet. Too quiet. It had been for the past two weeks, as though the city were holding it’s breath. 

“I don’t like it,” Chat Noir had admitted to her the other night. “What’s Hawkmoth waiting for?”

Ladybug hadn’t responded, not having an answer to give. Somehow, she didn’t think Hawkmoth had given up. She didn’t sense his absence, but rather his…anticipation.

As it was, Marinette had spent the past half a month tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Her nerves had winnowed to a fine point, and she’d found herself jumping at every little thing when she wasn’t falling asleep in class.

“We’ll pair up with Marinette.”

Marinette jerked awake at the sound of her name, hastily pulling a piece of paper off her cheek as she straightened. She scanned the room and saw Sabrina staring at her expectantly while Chloe filed her nails beside her.

“Wha - ?”

“Sabrina and Chloe just requested you for the group project, girl,” Alya muttered beside her. Marinette blinked, still half asleep. 

“They what?”

“Say something!” Alya hissed, glaring at the other two girls. “Now!”

“Ok, Chloe, Sabrina, and Marinette,” Mme Mendeleyev said, “You’ll be presenting on the chemical make up of an item of your choice in two weeks. Next!”

“Ugggggh,” Marinette moaned, dropping her head back down on her desk.

“Girl,” Alya tsked, shaking her head. “That’s some bad luck. So weird of Chloe to volunteer to work with you.”

“You mean Sabrina.” Marinette rolled her eyes. “Sabrina does all of Chloe’s work all the time. She probably just wants some help.”

Still, Marinette made sure to stay awake for the rest of the day, not really in the mood for more surprises. And yet she found herself caught off guard again as Chloe fell into step beside her on her way home.

“Mari, I thought we could head to the Grand Palais to start work on our project,” Chloe chirped, looping her arm through Marinette’s. “Sabrina’s busy, but you and I can work on it.”

“You mean _I_ can work on it?” Marinette couldn’t help but snark as they crossed the street.

“That was before,” Chloe said, flipping her pony tail. “I’ve changed. Being Queen Bee has taught me responsibility.”

Marinette fought another eye roll as they stopped in front of her parents’ bakery. She searched Chloe’s face for insincerity, but found nothing there. She sighed, giving in. She didn’t have patrol with Chat Noir until much later anyway.

“Fine,” Marinette sighed. “Just let me tell my parents.”

“Coolio,” Chloe trilled, giving Marinette’s arm a squeeze. “I’ll bring the car around.”

And that was how, thirty minutes later, Marinette found herself stepping into the Grand Palais with Chloe after a not-altogether unpleasant car ride and a few encouraging words from Tikki. To her credit, Chloe had rattled on the whole ride about what the subject for their project could be and had actually come up with some good ideas.

“I like the perfume idea,” Marinette offered when Chloe finally stopped for a breath as they stepped out of the elevator. “And the shampoo could be really cool and unexpected.”

“Very true, Mari,” Chloe purred, unlocking the door to her suit. “I’m all about the unexpected.”

The sight was so jarring that Marinette froze mere steps inside the suite. A figure was silhouetted in the picture window, motionless, as though waiting for something - or someone. At first glance, Marinette thought he might be Chloe’s butler, waiting for her to return home; but there was something else about the man, something off. A sense of dread emanated from him, filling the room and smothering Marinette’s senses.

“As promised,” she heard Chloe say behind her, followed by the ominous and unmistakeable sound of the door shutting. Marinette tensed, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the man in front of her. 

“Thank you, Ms. Bourgeois,” the man said. Marinette stifled a cry at the man’s voice, clapping a hand over her mouth. _Him_. What -

“And thank you for joining us, Marinette,” Hawkmoth continued, “Or should I say - Ladybug?”

It was her worst nightmare. She had dreamed this moment a thousand times, but she’d never imagined it quite like this. At the very least she’d always imagined it would be her choice. How had he found out? She’d always been so careful. What had Chloe done?

“Tikki -!” Marinette didn’t even get the order out before Hawkmoth whirled on her. Her reflexes were no match for him when he was transformed. She couldn’t get her hands up to defend herself before his cane cracked her across the temple. 

Everything just went…slack. Marinette felt her knees hit the floor, the cool marble against the skin of her cheek. Chloe’s cackling laugh was the last thing she heard before everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh I just rewatched the end of season 3 and this is pretty much how I see this little revelation going tbh. I started to write a different one, and I may post it at the end, just to see what could have been.
> 
> Sorry, Chloe stans. I love her, too, but.


	3. Mayura

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, it's dark, sorry XD

Marinette groaned as she slowly drifted back towards consciousness. She winced as agony lanced through her head, sharp and sudden. It didn’t let up, either, receding only to a dull ache with frequent jabs of pain. 

She was sitting up, she realized. She discovered her hands were bound to chair arms when she tried to flex her fingers. Tight, but not totally uncomfortable - unlike the chair, which she could feel was one of those ones designed to look nice but not meant for sitting in. She quickly realized her shoulders, waist, and legs had also been restrained

“Good afternoon, Miss Dupain-Cheng,” she heard a voice say, at once familiar and strange. Marinette struggled to open her eyes, and was horrified to find herself face to face with Mayura. A fixed peacock miraculous glinted at her throat. “I’m glad you’re awake. Would you like some water?”

Marinette grit her teeth against the pain, willing herself to focus. She would only have one shot at this. “Tikki, spots on!”

But… nothing. Nothing happened. In front of her, Mayura only smirked. 

“Surely you didn’t think we’d leave the Miraculous on you,” Mayura said, flicking her fan open. Marinette felt like nothing so much as a mouse backed into a corner as the woman regarded her over the feathers. She refused to balk, glaring at the woman, refusing to speak.

It was then Marinette realized the room she was in was…nice. Really nice. Not one she’d seen before, but familiar, the scale of which she could tell a lot of money had gone into. Could the mayor be Hawkmoth then? 

“Well, if you’re feeling quite well, then we need your help to record a little message,” Mayura said. “It seems we’re one guest short for our little party. Duusuu, Tikki, unify!”

“Tikki!” Marinette strained against her bonds as her kwami appeared before her. She was there for only a moment before disappearing into the ladybug miraculous, but Marinette didn’t miss the sad, desperate look Tikki threw her. “No!”

But whoever had tied her up had done a great job; without her miraculous, she wasn’t strong enough to free herself. Marinette could only watch as Mayura transformed before her, the teal spots on her dress turned a deep red, her yoyo appearing on the woman’s him, the trim on her dress turning black. It was subtle, almost as though Mayura was using the ladybug miraculous while simultaneously suppressing it. 

But when the transformation was complete, Mayura stumbled, falling to her knees. Marinette knew the feeling. That much power was overwhelming, making it incredibly hard to focus, but only moments passed before Mayura climbed back to her feet, steady once more.

“Incredible,” Mayura breathed, flexing her fingers. She glanced up at Marinette and smirked. “I hope you’re not camera shy.” Mayura pulled the yoyo from around her waist, flicking it open. “Oh. It appears you’ve missed some messages from Chat Noir. I’m sure he’ll be relieved to hear from you.”

Alarm shot through Marinette at the implication, and she pulled harder at her bonds, the rope burning as it sawed into her skin. 

“Don’t,” she begged. _”Don’t.”_

“Don’t worry, Marinette,” Mayura said as she strode toward Marinette. “Your identity will remain between just us girls and Hawkmoth - at least for now. We have other uses for you yet.”


	4. Adrien

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mayura makes her demands, kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI SO! I'm sorry I've been neglecting this fic, my other fic really took off and I'm addicted to the comments (and the fluff).
> 
> But when I went to write a new chapter, I realized (and accepted) that I had derailed my story by screwing up the pacing. So I'm reposting this chapter with 80% new direction, and I hope you like it as much as I now do :)

Adrien frowned as the clock hit the ten minute mark past when class usually started. Marinette was always late but she’d never been this late. When he’d first started coming to school, he’d wondered why Marinette’s tardiness was so tolerated. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that it was because, despite that one flaw, Marinette was an _excellent_ student. She was top of their class, an amazing student rep, and a talented and dedicated designer. 

But even the star student could get sick, he guessed. Adrien smiled softly to himself as an idea struck him and he began to copy his notes out in double. She’d done the same for him every time he’d missed class; he was sure the Gorilla could be convinced to let him run across the street for five minutes. Really, it was the least he could do. For a friend. 

His escape plan was interrupted by the chime of a phone behind him. Adrien glanced over his shoulder, as did everyone else, at Alya, who’s embarrassed blush was abruptly draining away. As he watched, she turned pale as a ghost, frozen, staring at her phone screen.

“Alya?” Adrien saw Nino reach out to her, an undercurrent of concern in his voice. “What’s - ”

“Miss Cesaire,” Mme. Bustier interrupted. “If you can’t stop looking at your phone, I will hold onto it for the rest of the day.”

Mme. Bustier’s shadow fell across Adrien’s desk as she held her hand out for Alya’s phone. From anyone else, the words would have been harsh, but the teacher’s kind smile never wavered.

“But - ”

“No ‘buts’,” Mme. Bustier said. “It’s just for the day. I promise the Ladyblog will survive.”

“Miss Bustier, it’s Marinette,” Alya burst out, shooting to her feet. “Turn on the news. Now!”

Mme. Bustier blinked, but to her credit, she immediately did. Nadia Chamuck’s face filled the screen, a tiny video screen hovering over her left shoulder. And there, tied to a chair with Mayura’s unmistakable shadow falling across her, was Marinette.

Ice coated Adrien’s bones. He at once needed to know what the video was, _why_ it was, while at the same time dreading it, afraid of what he might see. Why Marinette? Had he somehow endangered her by being her friend? Was he responsible for the fear so clearly written on her face?

“ -ieved this video moments ago,” Nadia was saying as the volume was turned up. “It has been verified by the authorities as authentic and depicts a young girl being held hostage by none other than Paris’ supervillain Mayura. I must warn you, the video may be disturbing to some.”

The video suddenly expanded to the size of the screen. Mayura’s voice filled the small room.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir,” she said as Marinette squirmed. Adrien could see blood where the rope had cut into her skin. “It’s time we ended our little game of cat and mouse. You will meet us at the top of the Eiffel Tower at sunset, or Marinette here will face the consequences of your decision.”

“Don’t!” Marinette shouted, leaning in as far as she could. “Don’t! Don’t come! It’s a trap, Chat Noir! I’m - ”

The video abruptly cut off, the screen going black before Nadia reappeared on the screen.

“This video was received moments ago,” Nadia said, beginning to repeat her newscast. Mme. Bustier muted the screen and turned back to the class, trying to quiet the commotion that had started with the video.

Adrien barely noticed. His fault, his fault. The thought ricocheted around his head, even if it made no real sense. Directly or indirectly. Either Hawkmoth had figured out they were friends, or he’d gotten lucky because he and Ladybug had failed to stop him sooner. Either way, the blame was his. He’d been far too content to fight the akuma’s, far too reliant on Ladybug, far too _comfortable_ with his role, convinced Hawkmoth would eventually give up, certain he and Ladybug soundly had the upper hand. 

But instead Hawkmoth had switched tactics, and now Marinette was going to pay for it. 

As for her warning about it being a trap, that much was obvious. It didn’t even matter. As if that would stop him from coming for her. But what had she been about to say? ‘I’m’…I’m what? ‘I’m ok’? ‘I’m not worth it’? ‘I’m sorry’? Any of those self-sacrificing comments would have made sense. They were so… _Marinette_.

“Adrien, you coming, bro?” 

Nino’s words shook Adrien out of her reverie, and he looked to see his friend standing up beside him. In fact, the whole class was standing, in some stage of packing up their bag. Alya was already done and standing with Nino, her face half hidden in his shoulder as she quietly cried.

“What…?”

“Miss Bustier let us go early,” Nino said quietly. He didn’t elaborate, and Adrien didn’t ask as he too began to pack up. Good. It mean he didn’t have to come up with a lame excuse to leave so he could finally do what he should have done a long time ago: hunt Hawkmoth down and rip his Miraculous from his throat like the vermin he was.

The three of them left in silence. Nino tried to console Alya, and Adrien was content to be left to his planning. First, he’d get in touch with Ladybug. They’d make a plan. And then he’d save Marinette. He’d sometimes wondered what his cataclysm would do to a person, and then he’d accidentally found out first hand. Now he wondered what it would do to Hawkmoth, who was clearly already a broken man. 

“I’m so sorry, Alya,” Adrien finally said as they stopped on the front steps. He wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for, exactly. Her sorrow. That he couldn’t help her. That he was, in part, responsible.

“It’s not your fault,” she said, scrubbing at her face. “It’s just…” She teared up again, and Adrien could understand why. Of all the people it could have been, Marinette deserved it the least. 

“I’m sure Ladybug and Chat Noir are already on it,” he said, “But just in case, why don’t you make a post about it on the Ladyblog?” He knew he’d be at the Eiffel Tower that night, but he was never sure what kind of lifestyle Ladybug had. She was usually quick to respond, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Not with Marinette. Not ever again.

**Author's Note:**

> So when I rewatched season one, I realized Chloe had all the pieces to put together once she had experience with the Bee miraculous. It might be a bit of a stretch, but tbh, I'm here for the ~*~drama~*~ of it. I can't promise a Chloe redemption arc because that's not really the goal of this fic, especially with how season 3 left things and Chloe's general personality, but she is one of my faves, so I'll try not to do her too dirty <3


End file.
